Explosive-engine.



vF. M. PRATHER.

EXPLOSIVE ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNEZ]. 1917.

1,299,777, Patented Apr. 8, 1919' 3 SHEETSSHEET I.

GHQ: Me an F. M. PRATHEB. EXPLOSIVE ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED J UNE 27.1917. 7 1,299,777. Patented Apr. 8,1919.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

FRANK M. FEATHER, 0F DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

EXPLOSIVE-ENG-INE.

Application filed June 2'7, 1917. Serial No. 177,165.

To all whom; it may concern:

Be it lmown that I, FRANK M. PRATHER, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented cer-' tain .new and useful Improvements in Explosive-Engines, of which the following isa specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to a rotary multicylinder engine that is characterized by a novel axial intake and exhaust manifold; a rotary valve on the manifold; rotary multicylinders about the valve; adriven power transmitting member articulated with the cylinders, and a valve gearing mechanism by which the rotary valve is moved in timed relation to the rotary cylinders, so that fuel and gases may be admitted and exhausted to and from the cylinders during the rotary .movement thereof.

Specification of Letters Patent.

My invention aims to provide an engine embodying the above structural features,

wherein the centrifugal force or movement denotes frames or suitable bearings, and

of the rotary multi-cylinders is transmitted to the power transmitting member and thus cooperates with the pistons of the cylinders in driving said member at a maximum speed with a minimum expenditure of fuel.

My invention further aims to provide a multi-cylinder rotary engine wherein the driven power transmitting member is disposed about the cylinders of the engine, with the piston connecting rods extending out of the outer ends of the cylinders and connected with the power transmitting member, so that the member may have movement imparted thereto during the rotary movement ofthe cylinders and the reciprocable- .movement of the pistons therein.

My invention still further aims to provide an explosive engine of the above type wherein the parts are constructed with a view of reducing the cost of manufacture and at thesame time retain those features by which safety, durability, compactness, simplicity of construction and ease of assembling are -secured. With such ends in view my lnvention resides in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter specifically described and then claimed.

Reference will now behad to the drawing, wherein Figure 1 is a vertical cross sectional view of the engine;

Patented Apr. 8, rare.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view of the combined intake'and exhaust manifold, on a small scale;

Fig. 3 is a, longitudinal sectional view of i Y may be put into practice, and I do not care to confine myself to the precise construction and arrangement of parts shown. The following descriptionis therefore to be broadly construed as including such substitutes as are the obvious equivalent of those to .be hereinafter referred to;

Inthe drawings, the reference numeral 1 keyed or otherwise fixed in said bearings is a stationary axial combined intake and exhaust manifold 2, which is cylindrical and provided with longitudinal partitions 3 and v 4, said partitions having the inner ends thereof in spaced parallel relation so as to provide a water conduit 5. The manifold 2,

intermediate its ends has the walls thereof are connected to the walls of the manifold by transverse walls 7 and 8 respectively, said walls cooperating with the partitions 3 and 4 in forming a chamber 9 for water or a suitable cooling agent. The water or cooling agent maybe admitted to the chamber 9 by a suitable connection 10 at one end of the manifold and with the chamber 9 open at the opposite end of the manifold, water can be circulated through the chamber 9 and the conduit 5. v The partitions 3 and 4- also cooperate.

with the walls of the conduit in providing an intake conduit 11 and an exhaust conduit 12, these conduits communicating with the cut away portion 6 of the manifold at opposite sides of the walled water passage 5.

On the manifold 2 is a rotary valve sleeve 13 having a plurality of ports 14 in com munication with the cut away portions 6 of the-manifold. One end of the valve sleeve 13 has a large pinion 15, which will be hereina fter referred to in connection with the valve gearing mechanism of the engine.

Rotatable on the valve sleeve 13 is a cylinder body 16 provided with a plurality of radially disposed cylinders 17 preferably five in number, said cylinders having the outer ends thereof open and the inner ends thereof provided with ports 18 adapted to com1nuni cate with the ports 14 of the rotary valve sleeve and the cut away portions 6 of the manifold, so that said cylinders may receive fuel and exhaust gases through the manifold.

The cylinders 17 have the sides thereof connected by a circular web 19 provided with an outstanding annular flange 20 and mounted against the web 19 and the flange 20 thereof is a peripheral flange 21 of a cylindrical casing 22. The flange 21 may be conveniently connected to the web 19 by screw bolts 23 or other fastening means. The cylindrical casing 22 has a concentric sleeve portion 24 and set therein is a ball race member 25 for anti-frictional bearings 26, as balls, which are held on the race 25 by a ball race member 27 mounted on the reduced end 28 of the manifold 2. The manifold may be exteriorlyscrew threaded to receive the ball race member 27 and this member may be held in position by a jam nut 29.

Keyed or otherwise mounted on' the reduced end 28 of the manifold 2 is a pinion 30 and meshing therewith are opposed gear Wheels 31 mounted on a shaft 32, journale'd in the web 19 and the casing 22, said casing having the circular wall thereof cut away to provide clearance for the gear wheels 31. Integral with the gear wheels 31 are small gear wheels 33 meshing with the pinion 15 on the end of the valve sleeve 13.

The gear wheels 31 and 33 correspond to compound gears and with the cylinders moving about the manifold as an axis, the compound gears engaging the pinions 30 and 13, cause the rotary valve sleeve to'be revolved in the same direction as the cylinders, with a lagging movement. For instance, during a fifth of a revolution of the cylinders the valve sleeve lags one-thirtieth of a revolution or while the cylinder makes one revolution, the sleeve makes five-sixths of a revolution.

The cylinder body 16 has a sleeve portion 34 and set therein is a ball race member 35 for antifrictional bearings 36, as balls. These balls are retained in engagement with the ball race member 35 by another ball race member 37 on the large end of the manifold 2 and said ball race member abuts an eccentric bearing 38, preferably integral with the large end of the manifold. Fixed on the small end 28 of the manifold is another eccentric bearing 39 and these eccentrically disposed bearings are provided with inner ball race members 40 for antifrictional bearings 41, as balls, said balls supporting outer ball race members 42 in the hubs 43 of a driven power transmitting member. The power transmitting member comprises abutting rims 44 in the axial plane of the radially disposed cylinders 17 and the abutting rims 44 are suitably connected together, as at 45 and connected to the hubs 43 by arms 46 and 4. The arms 46 have bearings 48 for the wrist pins 49 of cranks 50 and said cranks have other wrist pins 51 extending into bearings 52 forming partsof a circular frame 53 connecting the outer ends of the cylinders 17. The frame 53 is in the axial plane of the cylinders 17 and cotiperates with the cylinder body 16 in providing a rigid cylinder construction, besides serving with the cranks 50 as means of articulating the cylinders relative to the power transmitting member so that there will always be a defined movement of one relative to the other.

Reciprocable in the cylinders 17 are pistons 54 having connecting rods 55 extending out of the outer ends of the cylinders 17 and ivotally connected to bearings 56 carried y the abutting rims 44 of the power transmitting member.

Spark plugs 57 forming partof a-suitable ignition system may be conveniently mounted in the inner ends of the cylinders 17 preferably in those cylinder walls opposite the walls connected by the web 19.

A sprocket wheel 58 or other power transmitting wheel or device may be mounted upon-one ofthe hubs 43 of the power transmitting member, so that this driven member may be employed for various operating purposes.

In operation, two of the pistons are al ways driving the power transmitting member which has an eccentric relation to the cylinders of the engine, and a cycular operation of one cylinder, for instance the cylinder designated A in Figs. 4 to 7 inclusive, can be clearly understood by referring to said figures. As indicated in Fig. 4, compression takes place in the cylinder A during a half revolution of the cylinder body, and during the remaining half of a revolution explosion takes place in the cylinder A. This same cylinder exhausts in another half revo-' lution and receives fuel in the remaining half revolution. It is therefore apparent that the operation of the engine is on the four cycle principle and that it is only necessary to properly time the movement of the rotary valve sleeve, relative to the movement of the cylinder body, so that fuel will be admitted to the cylinders and gases exhausted therefrom in timed order. As heretofore pointed out, the rotary valve sleeve rotates at fivesixths the speed of the cylinders and this is accomplished through the medium of the valve mechanism within the casing 22. With the axial manifold 6 stationary, it is necessary to'articulate the cylinders relative to the driven power transmission member in order that the valve gearing mechanism will be actuated to move the valve sleeve in timed relation to the cylinders, and this is accomplished through the medium of the cranks 50 connecting the frame 53 to the arms 46 of the power transmitting member.

In lieu of the cranks 50, the arms 46 may be provided with large portions 58 having annular grooves 59 to receive anti-frictional rollers 60 carried by the frame 53 and in this manner the cylinder body will be revolved by the power transmission member, even though the latter has a permanent eccentric relation to said cylinder body.

From the foregoing it will be observed that the cylinder body, cylinders, pistons and the means controlling the admission of fuel and the exhaust of gases constitute a rotary power plant having power units successively brought into action. As the power delivered by the units is from the outer ends of the cylinders, such power is in the same direction as the centrifugal force produced by the cylinder body in motion. With the power of the engine units in the same direction as the centrifugal force, it is obvious that the rotary power transmission member can be driven without producing any stresses or strains between the pistons and the power transmitting member. In other words, the connecting rods ofthe engine may have the ends thereof loosely connected to the pistons or to the power transmission member, since the established relation between the power plant and the power member will at all times maintain the connecting rods in position. It is therefore possible to use antifrictional hearings to reduce friction be tween the connected rods and their connected parts.

What I claim is 1. In a rotarymulti-cylinder engine, .a hollow manifold, longitudinal partitions in said manifold providing communicating end water chambers and separate intake and exhaust conduits open intermediate the ends of said manifold, a rotary valve sleeve on said manifold, a cylinder body about said valve sleeve provided with cylinders adapted to receive fuel and exhaust gases through said valve sleeve and said manifold, a power transmission member about said cylinder body and articulated therewith, a gearing mechanism set in motion by a rotary movement of said cylinderbody to actuate said rotary valve sleeve, and pistons in the cylinders of said cylinder body articulated with said power transmission member to impart movement thereto.

2. In a rotary explosive engine, an axial stationary manifold having communicating end water conduits and separate intake and exhaust conduits parallel with said water conduits and open intermediate the ends of said manifold, a rotary cylinder body on said manifold having radial cylinders, a valve sleeve on said manifold at the inner ends of the cylinders of said body adapted for controlling the admission of fuel and exhaust of gases to and from the cylinders of said body, pistons in the cylinders of said body, piston connecting rods extending out of the outer ends of the cylinders of said body, a power transmission member in eccentric relation to said cylinder body and connected to all of said connecting rods and adapted to be driven thereby, means articulating said cylinder body and said power transmission member adapted to cause said cylinder body to revolve, and means actuated by the rotary movement of said cylinderbody for rotating said valve sleeve in timed relation thereto.

3. In a rotary explosive engine, a com? bined water jacket intake and exhaust manifold, a rotary. cylinder body about said manifold provided with radial cylinders, valvular means between said manifold and the cylinders of said cylinder body adapted ing mechanism actuated by the rotary move- 'ment of said cylinder body adapted for moving the valvular means in timed relation to said cylinder body.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

FRANK M. PRATHER. Witnessesz' KARL I-I. BUTLER, ANNA M. Donn. 

